About the Program 

The Solomon Islands-Australia Partnership for Governance commenced in January 2022 and is an AUD $35.8 million dollar investment where Australia partners with the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) to support its critical priorities over four years. The goal is to build economic resilience and promote policies and practices for sustainable economic recovery and growth. Australia’s objective for this program is to strengthen accountable and inclusive governance in partnership with SIG other stakeholders. The program will contribute to the goal through four end-of-program outcomes.

EOPO1: SIG has strengthened public financial management and oversight.

EOPO2: SIG has improved domestic revenue generation and improved capability in targeted areas.

EOPO3: SIG has strengthened inclusive democratic processes and expanded opportunities for stakeholder engagement in public policy dialogue.

EOPO4: The program generates strengthened relationships between SIG and the Government of Australia.

About the Opportunity

Start Date: June 2025

End Date: 31 December 2025

Contract: Long-term personnel

Location: Honiara, Solomon Islands

Summary of Key Responsibilities

The purpose of this role is to provide the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) with technical support to undertake a thorough assessment of existing compliance framework and guidelines and support the design and implementation of a training and development program for staff.

The position requires a strong understanding of mining operations and environmental regulations and guidelines. Candidates must have experience in conducting mine site inspections, developing or assessing compliance frameworks and guidelines and experience in designing and delivering training programs. Candidates must have strong communication and presentation skills and demonstrated ability to work with diverse teams. A strong body of work with Government and/or government systems, as well as knowledge of private sector operations in the relevant industry is highly desirable.

Gap analysis

• Conduct gap analysis to identify areas where the compliance framework and guidelines are lacking, outdated or unclear. 
• Propose measures to address any identified regulatory gaps, outdated standards, ambiguous language and unclear procedures and improve compliance.

Benchmarking Framework:

• Conduct a benchmarking exercise comparing the Solomon Islands’ mining framework and compliance activities against international standards and guidelines (e.g. International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) principles, World Bank environmental and social safeguards) to inform the identification and adoption of best practices. 
• This should include assessing adequacy of current inspection and testing regime in ensuring compliance with legislation and ensuring SIG collects its fair share of revenue from mining activities.
• Resourcing or funding constraints should be identified.

Enhance Framework and Guidelines:  

• Revise and improve MMERE mining inspection processes and compliance activities/guidelines to ensure practicality, user friendliness and alignment with current legal and ethical standards, addressing emerging compliance challenges effectively.
• Develop appropriate forward plan of inspection/compliance activities (18 months).
• Adapt and incorporate contemporary tools, methods and compliance standards into MMERE processes. Develop standard operating procedures as required.

Compliance Training

• Design and implement a comprehensive training and development plan to ensure a full understanding of the new framework/guidelines/procedures to enable staff to effectively apply them in their roles.
• This should involve practical training at mine sites (on site implementation of new procedure).

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with MMERE and key stakeholders to ensure the framework and guidelines are practical, feasible, and meet the needs of those responsible for compliance monitoring. 

About You 

Educational Qualifications

• Preferably, postgraduate degree in mining engineering, geology, environmental science/engineering or law (with focus on mining regulations)

Relevant Professional Experience

• Demonstrated understanding of mining operations and associated environmental impacts
• Proven experience in developing and assessing compliance frameworks and guidelines
• Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering effective training programs
• Demonstrated ability to provide high level policy advice and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Past relevant experience in the Pacific Region or Solomon Islands.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people with sexual diversity or disability, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single requirement for a position. At Abt Associates we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every role requirement, we encourage you to apply in any case. You may be just the right candidate for this or for other roles. 

How to Apply

Please apply online via our Abt Careers website: https://egpy.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/…;

Please attach a cover letter and a detailed CV as a single document, addressing how you meet the requirements of this role. 

Closing Date: 12 May 2025, 11:59 PM (Solomon Islands Standard Time) 

About Us 

Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader with a proven track record in complex program implementation in the international development sector. We offer bold solutions and technical excellence in Health, Economic Growth, Governance, Research & Evaluation, Environment & Energy, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion. Working with our many partners, we have driven measurable social impact for more than 55 years, to achieve our mission of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people worldwide. We operate in remote and challenging environments and employ more than 3,700 staff in over 50 countries. For more information about us and what we do, visit our website at www.abtassociates.com

Equity

Abt Associates values individuality and celebrates difference with a strong commitment to diversity, equality, racial equity, gender, and disability inclusion. We strongly encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position. We offer flexible work arrangements and a culturally safe environment for staff members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Safeguarding

We are deeply committed to safeguarding, to protect and prevent harm and abuse to individuals we work for and who work for us. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. We will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, child abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation in any form, and expect everyone to be treated with respect and dignity.